Sonic the Hedgehog CD
by A Pair of New Shoes
Summary: It's been months since Sonic saved South Island, now he wants a vacation on the Little Planet. Unfortunately, his old foe has beaten him there, and with a new enemy in tow. If Sonic doesn't act fast, the entire future could be in trouble.
1. The Miracle Planet

Notes: I like both versions of the music

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or anything associated with him

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 1: The Miracle Planet

* * *

Sonic was off and running as usual, without a care in the world. He was excited because today was a special day. As he sped off however, he was being watched. Suddenly, without warning…

"SONIC!"

Sonic skidded to a halt and looked around. In a flash, he was tackled to the ground.

"Sonic, I finally caught up with you. I had to take a lot of shortcuts."

The glomper in question was a pink hedgehog wearing a skirt, blouse, hairclip, and a pair of shoes. She was a few years younger than Sonic.

"Amy," Sonic said, "Why were you following me? And please get off me."

"I just wanted to know where exactly you were going. Wherever it is, there's no need to fear, because Amy Rose is here."

Sonic sighed, "Fine, just don't grab onto me so much."

"I promise. So…?"

"I was heading to Never Lake."

"Ooh, that place is so beautiful. Was it to plan a date?"

"Nice try, Amy. It's because it's that time of the year."

"Are you sure this is the month?"  
"I'm positive. The Little Planet only shows up above Never Lake one month of the year. I've gotta check it out."

"For an adventure I'm assuming?"

"You better believe it. The Little Planet is also called the Miracle Planet because the regular laws of time don't apply to it. It's all thanks to the Time Stones."

"What are those?"

"The Time Stones are seven special jewels that control time on Little Planet. I hear they even make it possible, if you're going fast enough, for you can travel through time."

"That sounds so amazing. So can I come?"

"Look, Amy, I like you and all, but you'll just slow me down."

"I just wanna see how beautiful the planet is. I promise I won't get in the way."

"All right, fine. But don't expect me to slow down. We need to be in a hurry."

"I may not be as fast as you, but I'm not _that_ slow."

"Well what are we waiting for?"

Sonic took off, with Amy in pursuit. After a while (and an even longer while for Amy), they reached Never Lake. It was very large, with no beach, and surrounded by mountains. Sonic was lying down on the ground with his eyes closed when Amy finally arrived.

"Took you long enough to get here," Sonic joked.

"Shut up, Sonic. Is this the right spot?"

"It's as good as any. This is a planet we're talking about. It's huge!"

"Uh, Sonic, the planet's already here."

"I know, but I didn't wanna get a good look at it without you. Plus I needed the rest."

"Well get a good look now. Does something look off to you?"

Sonic got up to see what Amy meant. That's when he saw it.

"No way."

The Little Planet was almost entirely covered in what appeared to be metal. On top of that, it was chained to the side of a mountain. Sonic's eyes followed the chain to see the mountainside. He was shocked at first, but then just looked a little annoyed. The mountainside Little Planet was chained to had been carved into the image of Robotnik's face. The mustache, the glasses, and that big, toothy smile stared back at him.

"So Eggman's behind this, huh? I shoulda known."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Same thing I did last time he tried an evil scheme like this: ruin it. I need to hurry. You stay here, Amy."

"But I wanna help."

"There's no telling what old Eggman has in store. I don't want you to get into trouble."

Sonic then took off and started running up the long chain connecting the planet with the mountain.

"I don't care what he says. I'm following him whether he likes it or not."

**Meanwhile**

Sonic and Amy were being spied on the entire time. A pair of glowing red eyes from a mysterious robot were relaying everything it saw to (who else?) Robotnik.

"Keep your distance, my creation. Don't let them see you just yet. Merely observe for now. I shall give the word when to strike. Sonic won't even see it coming. Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"


	2. Palmtree Panic

Notes: Like it or love it, it's still part of the series

Disclaimer: I may have played it, but I certainly don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 2: Palmtree Panic…or not

* * *

Sonic finally reached the surface of the planet, and the damage didn't look as bad from his new angle. He had landed in a tropical island setting with lots of palm trees.

"Weird, this place looks untouched," Sonic said to himself.

"A perfect place for a date," came a reply.

Sonic looked behind him to see the only person it could be: Amy Rose.

"I told you to stay there, Amy."

"I promise not to get in your way. I just wanna see the planet."

"Alright, but be careful. I'm taking the long way so I can see if anything's wrong."

Sonic took off around the area.

"This place reminds me of Green Hill, but no hills."

Just then, some new Badniks appeared overhead. They looked like mosquitos, and were fittingly called Mosqui. They dive-bombed Sonic, but were easily avoidable, so they got stuck in the ground by their needle-noses.

"More of Eggman's Badniks. I better release the animals inside."

As he smashed open the Badniks, he was surprised to see no animals inside.

"Plant seeds?"

Plant seeds were the new batteries for the Badniks. Once the seeds hit the ground, they immediately sprouted into flowers. A strange, blue, ant-like Badnik on a single wheel called Anton came towards Sonic. He destroyed it as he sped past. He then ran as fast as he could up a steep hill and was sent flying into the air. He landed on top of a log, and had to dodge some admittedly slow butterfly Badniks called Pata-Bata. He then started hopping across floating platforms.

"I still wonder how this is possible."

As he crossed a bridge, a pair of water bug Badniks called Taga-Taga leapt out at him. He easily disposed of them. He then ran into a blue stinkbug Badnik called Kamemusi. It shot a projectile at him, but the Badnik didn't seem to have much accuracy. It met the same fate as its predecessors.

"Okay, so apart from these rather pathetic Badniks, I'm not seeing too much wrong here. I can clear these things out in no time. No need to panic."

Just then, however, Sonic saw a signpost with the word 'future' written on it.

"This has to be the way you time travel."

He ran past the sign and kept going faster. He was going so fast he didn't notice Amy at all.

"Whoa! Sonic must have been going at least 88 mph!"

There was a sudden flash of light, and Sonic was gone.

"Sonic?"

**Future**

The flash of light subsided and Sonic skidded to a stop.

"Oh no…"

The entire landscape had changed for the worst. The blue sky was now an ugly shade of brown. The once pristine river was a toxic-looking grey. The once magnificent mountains seemed to have their tops cut off, and pipes adorned them. In fact, long metal pipes seemed connected to everything, including the trees, and ran all through the ground. Said trees were now entirely made of machinery. The leaves and grass were no longer green, instead an unhealthy type of orange. Even the doctor's own Badniks looked beaten and decrepit. The fact that the flowers that emerged upon their destruction were still so pure was almost sad.

"Now we can panic. And here I thought I was going to relax under palm trees. Hey, that makes me think: Palmtree Panic. That's catchy. How can I think of that stuff at a time like this? Wait, that's it: time. I went into the future. This must be Eggman's doing. He's brought this whole place to ruin. Still, even he wouldn't be so stupid as to turn everything into the mess this place is. He's messing with the time stream, and I'll bet he's so busy trying to make things the way he wants he doesn't even notice the damage he's doing."

Sonic looked around. Then he saw just what he needed: a signpost that read 'past'.

"I need to get back to the past. Not the 'present' past, the 'past' past. I'll bet that's why nothing looked different when I got here, because he changed the past. Well what am I standing around for?"

He sped past the signpost and ran with all his might.

"I won't let this bad future happen."

There was a bright flash.

**Present**

"Sonic, you're back. Did you see the future?"

"Can't talk now. What I saw, you wouldn't like it. Over there's what I need."

He proceeded to replicate his time traveling experience.

**Past**

Sonic was once again in awe, but this time not because of how awful it looked, just how different it looked compared to the present. The palm trees looked more like giant ferns, and the water had a bit of green tinge to it.

"Okay, so if this is the past, why are there still springs? Best not to think about it."

He kept running, looking around for anything suspicious.

"Hmm, something tells me this huge piece of machinery might be it."

It was a strange device to say the least. Badniks seemed to be emerging from it.

"It looks too simple to create the mooks, so…it must be some kind of teleporter."

Sonic gave the machine a good kick and it exploded. In an instant, all the Badniks were destroyed, leaving behind their flower batteries.

"Mission accomplished. Now to get back to the future…that is the present. Oh whatever!"

**Present (again)**

"Sonic, you're back…again. I noticed you went into the past this time though."

"Yeah, I had to change the past to save the future."

"My hero!"

She latched onto him and gave him a big hug.

"Please knock it off, Amy. Hey, look at that."

"What? Wow, that is one enormous ring."

Sonic had reflexively been collecting rings from all over the area. That there was now a giant ring could only mean one thing.

"That must be where the Time Stone is."

"How do you know?"

"Well it worked with the Chaos Emeralds."

With that, he jumped in.

**Special**

Sonic didn't know what to make of this place.

"This is even trippier than all of those previous 'special' areas, but it's roomier."

The sky was red, and there were several planets in it, including…Earth?

"Don't think about it."

Large mountains of blue crystals dotted the background as well. Finally, he noticed the UFOs.

"Okay, I'm just gonna assume I need to destroy the UFOs, and then get out of here as fast as possible."

In no time at all, he did just that. Although the last couple of UFOs seemed very good at avoiding him. When his task was finished, a six-sided green gem fell into his hand.

"This first Time Stone. With this, I can fix Eggman real good."

In a flash he was back in Palmtree Panic.

"Sonic! You're back again…again. Did you the Time Stones?"

"Only one so far. I guess I'll have to check the other areas for the other six."

"Great, let's go."

All of a sudden, there was a strange ripple in the air.

"What is that, Sonic?"

"If I know my TV and movies, that ripple is the wave of the future. So to speak. Going back to save the past must have triggered something."

There was yet another blinding flash.

"Why are there so many flashes?!"

**Future**

As the hedgehogs opened their eyes, they were blown away by the sight. This future was a much more desirable contrast to the last future. The mountains were still magnificent, the grass was still green, the water still blue, and the air was still clean. The plants appeared to be technorganic. There were still pipes, but not as many, and they were transporting water to all the trees. Flowers were blooming everywhere, while little animals frolicked under the trees. This was truly paradise.

"Nature and technology, helping one another. It's amazing, Sonic."

"You can say that again."

"Very well then," replied a different voice, "It's amazing, Sonic, how annoying you can be!"

"I was wondering how long you were gonna take to show up, Eggman."

The doctor was piloting a large mech, with chicken legs, spiked feet, and bumpers on the end of the arms.

"And now, hedgehogs, I shall – why are you snickering?"

"Your robot thing is pink," Sonic said, trying not to laugh.

"It didn't use to be, but you did something to the timeline and changed it."

The pair couldn't hold it in any more. Sonic and Amy fell to ground, laughing long and loud.

"SILENCE! It may look silly, but the EGG-HVC-001 is more than enough to kill you both!"

"I'm sure, Eggman. Bring it on!"

Eggman stomped forward in his mech. It seemed rather slow. Sonic ran towards it and tried to attack, only to be knocked back by one of the bumpers.

"Told you so, you fool!"

"Lucky hit. Now let's try this again."

This time, the hit connected, and it caused one of the arms to fall off.

"Wow, Eggman, did you decide to get cheap on the machines this time?"

Robotnik simply responded by charging again. Sonic countered with another hit, which caused the other arm to fall off. The doctor seemed to be slowly backing away. Sonic had other plans, and with one last hit, the mech collapsed. Out of the smoke, Robotnik made his getaway using a jetpack.

"I will rule every time zone on this planet, Hedgehog, and once I obtain the Time Stones, noting will stop me!"

Then he was gone, for now at least.

"What now, Sonic?"

"What else, Amy? We keep going and find the rest of the Time Stones before Eggman does. Let's head towards those lights, the sun's going down."

"I'd follow you anywhere, Sonic."

"Yeah, sure."

As they took off, a mysterious figure watched them go. Its cold, unblinking eyes kept sight of them at all times.

"Prepare yourself, my great creation," Robotnik's voice came in, "Don't do anything to Sonic just yet. Get that girl. We'll make him suffer. Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"


	3. Collision Chaos

Notes: The debut of a favorite character

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 3: Collision Chaos is an understatement

* * *

The sun was going down as Sonic ran up to the new area he wanted to explore. Amy was running as fast as she could in order to keep up.

"Do you have to run so fast, Sonic?"

"When Eggman is involved: yes."

This new area had neon lights, strange signs, smooth metal pillars, and everything was a weird color. Unlike the last area, this place had little vegetation. As the duo got closer, they saw the way was blocked by a wall of spikes.

"Of all the design failures. Who put this stupid thing here?"

"I doubt anyone would do it on purpose, Sonic. Except maybe that doctor guy."

"Of course, but why? I know him. He likes to show off. So why block the path and prevent me from getting closer?"

Quite a distance away, the robot that was spying on them before was still in the process of doing so. Just then, Robotnik's voice came in.

"Now's your chance, my creation. Capture that pink hedgehog and bring her to me. Once you have her in your grasp, stay out of reach of Sonic, but let him get a good look at you. I want to gloat."

Its eyes flashed as it activated its turbine engine. It took off like a shot.

"Sonic, do you hear something?"

"Kind of. Let me get a better look."

He jumped on a ledge just above where they were standing. He looked into the distance.

"I can make out something, but it's moving too fast. And now it's gone."

*CRASH*

A blue figure smashed through the spike wall, shattering it. It quickly snatched up Amy.

"Sonic! Help me!"

"Don't worry I'll – What in the…?"

Sonic was looking at…himself. It was a robot version of himself. Its sleek, smooth, blue-plated body hovered overhead. Its emotionless, red eyes fixated on Sonic, while in one arm it had a tight grip on Amy.

"Ha ha ha ha! How do you like it, Sonic?"

"Where are you, Eggman?"

"I'm speaking to you through my brilliant new creation. I designed him to be able to keep up with you. He's perfectly built for speed. Say hello to…Metal Sonic!"

"Don't worry, Amy, I'll save you in no time. That piece of junk is no match for me."

"Fool! The whole point is he was created for that very purpose. Return to me with that annoying girl, Metal!"

Metal Sonic flew off into the distance. Sonic couldn't see where exactly, but knew that wherever it was, that's where he'd find Robotnik.

"Seeing as I can't fly, nothing to do but get through this place."

It was as though someone went crazy with the colors of this place. The mountains and trees seemed to be orange in color. The sky was purple, though that could be written down to the setting sun, but the lake also seemed to be a purple color. The ground and various platforms were a mix of pink and purple. If Sonic looked high up into the sky, there was a reflection of the mountains and lake.

"It must be a 'time' thing."

Sonic ran past more neon signs and some metal support beams. He turned around for a second to get another look, when the ground came to an end. He fell…only to bounce back up. It was a bumper. In fact, there were a lot of bumpers floating in midair around this place. He kept going until he came to a steep in incline. Suddenly, a spring emerged from the ground.

"Well that's handy."

He ran into the spring and it launched him into the air. As soon as he landed, he had to dodge something. It appeared to be a curved blade of some sort. He had to duck to avoid another one. He then saw it came from a green mantis Badnik on two wheels called Kama-Kama. While the blades were quite dangerous, they were a one-time use. So it was defenseless. It was quickly turned into a flower. Sonic then ran through a tunnel. Blue moth Badniks called Ga detached from the walls and gave chase. They were, however, quite slow, and were thus eliminated. In another tunnel, apart from spikes and spinning balls of spikes, were a few ladybug Badniks called Tentou. They moved slowly, but dropped bombs, they were carefully taken out.

"Okay, those mantis ones were a bit tricky, but the rest kinda stink. What is the deal?"

He jumped into another room, but hit something that sent him flying back out.

"What the…?"

He tried it again. This time, while he was still sent flying, it wasn't as far. He saw what did it. The entire room was full of bubbles with a red center. Whatever they were, they functioned like the bumpers, only after one hit, they disappeared. To add to the mayhem, there were pinball flippers on the walls. Sonic was sent bouncing all over the room. Up and down and all around.

"So much bouncing. It's chaos, that's what it is. Sort of a…Collision Chaos. Hey, alliteration for the win. Now I have got to get out of here!"

Thankfully, he cleared a path to the floor and high-tailed it out of there. He even managed to pick up an energy shield in case one of those Kama-Kama Badniks got the drop on him. After having to suffer through more springs, bumpers, and flippers, he made it to the giant ring.

"Never thought I'd be glad to have to go through another trippy alternate dimension."

**Special**

This place appeared to be high up in the sky, as there were a lot of clouds, but there was also a planet.

"Is that Jupiter or…? No questions, just get the UFOs."

An orange Time Stone was the reward.

"And now I better go to the past. There's the sign."

**Past**

There was a lot more vegetation in the past. Not to mention the fact that it was green. It was also more exotic. Everything that was a structure in the present was made of wood. The ground was yellow. The lake and mountains still looked pristine, if not oddly colored. The bumpers, flippers, and springs were still plentiful. Those bubbles were here too, only the red spot inside was now a light green. There was the rare metal structure, as though someone planned to do something. Sonic kept moving and found the robot generator. After destroying it, he decided to go all the way from the present to the future.

**Bad Future**

The first thing Sonic noticed was the large, green buildings built where the forest used to be. Pipes connected them all together. In fact the pipes almost covered the lake. The mountains, the sky, and even the lake were a dark red. The ground was grey. What little plant-life there was had a dark orange tinge. The bubbles were here as well, but the center was a sickly green. There were more pieces of machinery, but their lights flickered a lot, as though they barely had any power.

"Why is it a bad future? I destroyed that…thing."

He sat down in frustration, but that's when he noticed the Time Stones glowing. Then the 'ripple' from last time appeared and gave off a bright flash.

**Good Future**

"Again with the flashing lights. Wow, never mind. Totally worth it."

There were potted plants as well as machines. All metal was a bright purple. The forest was still there, green as ever…although the mountains were also green. And built by the pure, blue waters of the lake was a shining city. It looked like the buildings were crystal, but that was probably just due to the reflection of the sun. The sky was, thankfully, sky blue. The ground was also light blue in color. The grass was as green as the potted plants.

"While I would've gone with different colors, this place looks amazing."

Sonic went through a tunnel. At the end, the only way out was up, but a metal structure blocked the exit. Sonic have it a good smack and it easily broke. As he went up, a different slab of metal moved into place. He then jumped onto a spring and was launched into a vertical room. It almost looked like a pinball machine.

"I hope you've played this game before, Sonic, because otherwise, you'll be here a while."

"I'm the pinball, huh? Not sure I like the sound of that."

He propelled himself off a flipper and ricocheted off several bumpers. It was made trickier by Robotnik launching projectiles that bounced him off course. Still this was one game Sonic wasn't about to lose. He managed to get sent flying all the way up to the top, where Robotnik sat perched atop a metal beam just like the one before. Sonic got an idea. As he dropped, he curled into a ball and began to spin. He then timed the flipper just right and flew right into the metal beam, causing it to move up. A different metal beam appeared beneath Sonic to provide footing.

"Admittedly, putting those other metal beams there was a design flaw."

"No kidding, Eggman."

Sonic hit the beam Eggman was on two more times and it was destroyed. The doctor took off in his Eggmobile.

"You've had practice at this I see, but something worse lies in wait, Hedgehog."

"Ah, quit your running and let's get this over with."

Robotnik had gotten away.

"Oh well, keep moving forward."

**Meanwhile**

"That was a stupid idea. Who ever heard of using pinball as a weapon?!"

Metal Sonic, of course, said nothing.

"Hey, egghead! Let me go already!"

"I should have installed soundproof glass for a holding cell."

Amy Rose was tied up and sitting in a corner.

"Sonic can hit every curve you throw at him."

"That's debatable, but I don't have to do anything at the moment. Because he's about to encounter one of his weaknesses any moment now."

"What do you mean? Wait…you mean…?"

"That's right," he replied, with a sinister smirk.

"Oh, Sonic," Amy said to herself, "Why didn't you ever learn how to swim?"


	4. Tidal Tempest

Notes: the 'Underwater' level, DUN DUN DUN!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 4: Trouble in Tidal Tempest

* * *

Due to time travel, the sun was setting again. Sonic noticed he was getting close to a more ancient sort of area, quite the contrast to the modernized Collision Chaos. There were even volcanoes in the distance. As the ground started to slope down, he could make out something he wished he could avoid, but knew he'd have to face.

"I really hate water."

The water had a slightly green tint to it. Sonic managed to get out of the water quickly. Just then, something flew at him. It was a green dragonfly Badnik called Tonbo. Sonic destroyed it easily. As he moved through the ruins, he noticed several blue pillars and quite a few pink-colored structures that appeared to be coral. He got close to the water again, and saw a green water strider Badnik called Amenbo. He smashed into it as he descend into the water. As the water went deeper, he saw the same water bug Badniks that were in Palmtree Panic, Taga-Taga. One swam close and fired off the spikes on its back. Sonic took care of them. He then saw some orange Badniks that resembled dragonfly larvae, they were called Yago. A small group swarmed towards him. He easily made work of them all.

"Though I do wonder how the flowers can bloom underwater."

Deeper into the ruins, he had to get through surprise spike traps, rotating platforms, collapsing ruins, and the occasional spike ball on a chain. There were also several large, yellow-tinted pipes strewn throughout the ruins. They seemed to be pumping water into different areas.

"This place is even weirder than that Labyrinth from before."

Just then, he noticed that one of the walls was moving. It was pushing him towards the edge. There was a large waterfall in front of him.

"I guess there's nothing to do but jump."

He fell for what seemed like…a minute. There was a platform not too far from where he jumped.

"Well that was anti-climactic. Oh well, let's go."

As he went on, there were strange statues that shot out water. Speaking of water, it was going down the farther he went.

"Now that's what I like to see."

However, he got to a wall with no way up it.

"Oh great. No springs, no switch, no nothing. Hey wait, it this a cork or something?"

It did look like a cork. And no sooner did he acknowledge it, the water started to rise.

"What have I got to lose? Having to trust the tides."

He jumped on the cork and rode it up a winding tunnel, pushed up by the waves. At last, it stopped. He pushed a button to move a section of ruins and kept on. Finding himself forced to go underwater again, he took the only route he could see: a tunnel.

"_This looks safe," _he thought to himself.

No sooner did he enter the tunnel, a strong current dragged him through. There were some spikes just ahead, but he managed to grab onto a pole and manipulate his position so as to miss them. Free at last, he finally used a nearby spring to get onto land and took a big breathe of air.

"That was a dang tempest I just went through. A Tidal Tempest if you will. Ooh, that's good. But anyway, this has gone far enough. Time to do some time traveling."

**Past**

Tidal Tempest had some noticeable differences in the past. For a start, it was entirely in a cave. Also, much to Sonic's relief, the water level was much lower. The water was a little dark, but mostly clear in color. The coral was brown. The ruins were grey and green. There was more plant life, either sprouting from the ground or hanging from the ceiling. There were odd platforms that seemed to randomly rotate when Sonic landed on them. And the weirdest thing was those water pumping pipes were here. In fact, Robotnik's machine was on top of one that jutted just above the water. Before he returned to the present, he noticed a few other changes. The wall that pushed him off before didn't move at all, the water didn't rise or fall, and there was no strong current.

"Well, I've satisfied my curiosity. Time to go. Hey, the giant ring."

**Special**

In the distance, there appeared to be an underwater city.

"Remember, logic does not apply."

He soon had a yellow Time Stone. With that done, Sonic once again made two trips.

**Bad Future**

"I'm getting really sick of having to see how ugly these places could get."

The first noticeable thing was the fact that the walls were now metal. The ruins were even more ruined. In fact, there were barely any of the original ruins left. Most of it was machinery. Everything was either brown or grey, and to top it off, Robotnik's face adorned every other piece of leftover ruins.

"Talk about bad taste."

The water had a toxic-looking red tint, and on top of that, the level was higher than ever. Even when Sonic managed to get out of the water, it almost reached where he was standing. Any coral that was left was shriveled up. The moving wall was completely gone. There were a lot more spikes underwater, and with the higher water level, Sonic was glad there were plenty of air bubbles. There were also more pipes all throughout the ruins. As he scrambled to get back to the entrance, that's when things finally changed.

**Good Future**

"Talk about aesthetically pleasing."

While it seemed the ruins were still in some type of factory, at least they were intact. In fact, the now pink-colored ruins were reinforced with metal. There also a lot of plants. Some were underwater, some were in glass containers, almost like it was part of an aquarium. The water was a pleasant turquoise color. The pipes seeming to be nourishing the plants and the water at the same time. Now that it looked safe, Sonic spent a bit more time observing how beautiful everything was underwater. He didn't even mind that it was still higher than it was in the present. Schools of fish darted all around him. Still, as lovely as it was, he could only take so much water.

"That was fun…to an extent."

He wandered on, not entirely sure where the exit was. Suddenly, a wall came down, cutting off the way he came. That's when he saw a familiar face.

"So beautiful, so clean…makes you sick, doesn't it?"

"Better than any bad taste aquarium you could come up with, I'm sure, Eggman. There's not a lot of room in here, so why not surrender?"

"I'd rather take my leave, so sorry."

He took off in his Eggmobile and headed deeper into the ruins. Sonic gave chase. Due to the narrow spaces, it wasn't easy to keep up. Sonic did manage to get in a few hits, which caused the mobile to start sputtering.

"So you got a few lucky shots. Let's see how you fare when we're underwater."

"Oh great."

Down he dived, until his feet finally touched solid ground. He was worried about air though. He couldn't take on Robotnik if he had to worry about breathing.

"Ho ho ho, time to show you who's boss!"

A stream of bubble shot out from the floor beneath Robotnik. They surrounded the Eggmobile, until sixteen large bubbles formed a kind of force field.

"_He's not serious, is he?" _Sonic thought.

"Try and dodge this when your speed is so limited underwater, Hedgehog!"

As Robotnik zoomed around, he fired four energy balls. Sonic managed to dodge them, but was running out of air fast. That's when he did something crazy, he ran up to Robotnik's bubble force field and…popped one of the bubbles, thus releasing the air. Dr. Robotnik was speechless for a minute.

"I didn't think this through, did I?"

Sonic shook his head. He continued to dodge the energy balls and whittle away the bubbles, until finally enough were out of the way that he could get a good hit on the mobile. After having taken damage from earlier, one hit was all it took.

"I've got to get out of here before this thing springs a leak or something."

He sped off, but Sonic was fast behind him. Thankfully, the water level went down. Sonic could now run at a proper speed, but he seemed to have lost Robotnik.

"Dang it, where did that Eggman go? Well, I'll get him soon enough. I'm just thankful I got to the exit. This place might look nicer now, but I still can't stand water."

**The base**

"NO, NO, NO! What was I thinking?! Using bubbles, the things Sonic uses to breathe with, as a shield? How stupid!"

Metal Sonic gave no reply.

"If all your plans are like that," Amy said, "Then Sonic will beat you pretty quickly."

"Silence! That was just improvisation. It wasn't one of my own creations. Besides, I knew the water would only slow him down. After all, I want him to get closer. What's the fun in taking over if there's no challenge?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Stupid little pest of a girl," Robotnik muttered to himself, "Hurry up and get here, Sonic, or I might just kill her now so I can have some peace and quiet."


	5. Quartz Quadrant

Notes: this is the first level that isn't a tribute to a Sonic 1 level

Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 5: Moving on through Quartz Quadrant

* * *

Sonic was very happy to be out in the open again. It seemed this elation was to be short-lived, because the trail was leading underground.

"As long as there's no more water."

It was an expansive cave. Beautiful, shiny crystals adorned the floor and ceiling.

"What kind of crystals are these?"

He took a closer look.

"Unless I miss my guess, this stuff is quartz. Like the stuff watches use."

As he went on, he saw dozens of conveyor belts.

"This must a mining operation. Let me think of a clever name…Quartz Quadrant, yeah that works."

As he was admiring the floating platforms and numerous conveyor belts, a Badnik approached. It looked very similar to Caterkiller, but was called Kemusi. It also went down as easily as Caterkiller. A snail Badnik called Noro-Noro slowly made its way towards Sonic.

"Oh no, a snail. I'm in trouble now."

As Sonic was about to jump on it, spikes emerged from its shell. Sonic decided a roll attack would work better. Next, he saw an interesting clear, spiral pipe. He jumped in, and it sent him zooming off onto a different path. This path seemed to lead to a more open area, as he could see the blue sky and lush, green forest. Just then, another Badnik leapt in front of him. It was a large, spider Badnik called Kumo-Kumo. Strangely, it only had six legs, but the legs did have springs on them. Sonic smashed it and kept going, until a missile exploded near him. He looked around to see where it came from. Now came another shot, and still another. He dodged the shots as he ascended the floating platforms. He saw that it was a pair of blue-colored Badniks that resembled scorpions. It was called Sasori. In place of a stinger, its tail ended in a blaster. Sonic taunted the Badniks.

"Hey, you pathetic arachnids, how about some target practice?"

They took aim and fired. As the shots drew near, Sonic simply ducked. The shots whizzed past each other and ended up destroying both Badniks.

"I guess the intelligence level on these things is pretty low. Now to take a little trip."

**Past**

The most noticeable difference, apart from there oddly still being conveyor belts, was that everything was made of wood. Moss and vines were strewn throughout the cave. Speaking of which, the cave was still enormous, but there was a lot more quartz. When he got to a more outside area, instead of a forest, this place was a swamp.

"This is kinda cool and all, but caves are too cramped for my taste. Time for the giant ring, special stage thing."

**Special**

This background had an ancient city atop a large island with waterfalls all around.

"No time to gawk at scenery, history to be made…so to speak."

The blue Time Stone brought the total to four.

"Now let's turn the bad future into a good one."

**Bad Future**

The entire cave was filled with dirty machinery. In fact, everything was made of machinery. In the distance was a vast assembly line. Even outside the cave, nothing but metal dominated the land. The sky looked as though it was on fire. There was no trace of quartz left in the cave. Correction, there was a river of molten quartz. That was all that was left. To top it all off, in some spots there were TV monitors that bore a distorted, but unmistakable image of Dr. Robotnik. Thankfully, the changes began to take place.

"Goodbye, bad."

**Good Future**

"Hello, good."

There was still plenty of quartz in the cave now. There was even a beautiful city built inside the cave. It sparkled as much as the quartz. The blue and gold machinery was still functioning, so perhaps they still mined, just more carefully. And outside, another large building dominated the landscape. It was surrounded by trees, and the mountains were visible in the distance.

"So picturesque and placid, but I'm sure Eggman is here already to ruin the moment."

Sonic ran on. He was about to give up looking when a spike plate lowered from the wall to block his way. He was standing on a treadmill. Well it was a conveyor belt, but since he was sure to do some running, he thought of it as a treadmill. On the other end of said treadmill was a large piston. It lowered to block the other way out. The piston was hollow, and inside was Robotnik, standing at a control panel.

"You'll like this, Hedgehog. You like running so much? Well you better run now, because your life depends on it!"

The treadmill started up, going faster and faster. Sonic ran, the speed of the treadmill, however, made it impossible for him to get a hit on the piston Robotnik stood in. The doctor also starting dropping bombs to try and slow Sonic down.

"So much for the speed of sound, eh? Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

Just then, Robotnik felt the piston jolt. He had brought the piston down to the treadmill to make sure Sonic couldn't escape, but the friction of how fast it was going was starting to deteriorate the bottom.

"No matter, I'll just finish you off."

He kept dropping bombs, but it was a rather slow process.

"Gah, what a design flaw. It's like the opposite of those stupid crane games."

Even as he said this, the piston's bottom was heating up and slowly disintegrating.

"Looks like your machine can't take the heat, Eggman."

The bottom was almost completely burned through. Robotnik started to feel the heat.

"I don't know – OW, what you mean – Ooh, that's hot!"

At last it was too much.

"Time for a quick getaway! Not to mention some cold water."

Robotnik leapt from the piston and ran as fast as possible. Sonic had to destroy the piston machine before he could give chase. That was more than enough time for someone like Robotnik to make an escape.

"The jerk got away again. Well, at least I got a good workout. And here I thought there was no room in a cave for running. Now let's see what kind of crazy place lies ahead."

**The base**

"This is why I hate exercise! That should have worked!"

"How you ever manage to run so quickly despite being so fat is beyond me," Amy snarked.

"This is NOT all fat…maybe."

Metal Sonic remained silent.

"That mine was too easy. The next zone is much more difficult. Sonic can't run if his feet can't even touch solid ground."


	6. Wacky Workbench

Notes: the other level that's not an 'expy' of a former level

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 6: Wacky Workbench is one way of putting it

* * *

Sonic's next destination was a vast canyon. It wasn't until he got closer that he realized there was something inside the canyon. It was an enormous factory of some kind.

"This is a weird place for a factory, but who am I to question things?"

The factory stretched all throughout the canyon. The machinery was primarily blue in color. Girders lined the ceiling. Chains hung from the walls. There were a lot of flashing lights. Sirens were going off. There were dozens of platforms floating either up and down or left and right.

"Hey, I can feel a cool breeze coming from this vent."

The vent let out a burst of freezing air. It instantly froze Sonic in a block of ice.

"…"

In a few seconds, Sonic broke free.

"Okay, note to self: avoid the air vents. Hmm, now I wonder why the floor keeps flashing then going dark like that."

Sonic decided to find out first hand by walking along the checkered floor. It was dark at the moment.

"Must be a design thing."

Just then, the floor flashed on.

"That looks kinda cool I guess – OH GEEZ!"

Sonic was launched high into the air. He landed in the rafters. Also near the ceiling was a web of electrical wires, with atom-shaped structures as the generators.

"Well gee, this place looks so safe."

Right then, some Badniks came along. A few looked like yellow cicadas that dropped bombs, called Semi. Others looked like green grasshoppers, but instead of legs there was a large red spring, called Bata-pyon.

"These guys are starting to bug me…that joke was too easy."

Sonic easily got them out of the way.

"Now I've gotta get back down to the ground before I get electrocuted."

He hopped across the floating platforms. He came across several yellow bee-like Badniks called Poh-Bee. They looked very much like the Buzz Bombers from before. They even had the laser stingers.

"Just as easy to get rid of like their cousins. Now I can – whoa!"

Another Badnik appeared right in front of him. It had lowered itself down from a string attached to a low ceiling. It was a bagworm covered in spikes called Minomusi. This minor annoyance soon retracted its spikes and began to raise itself back up to the roof. Sonic didn't let it finish.

"This place looks like it's meant to be some kind of factory. Like a workbench of some sort. But honestly, this place seems too dang crazy for anything to get done. It's just a Wacky Workbench. Huh, that was a good one."

Pistons chugged, turbines spun, bobbins twirled. This entire place was…well, wacky.

"I'd say a trip in time is in order."

Just as he was about to get a 'past' sign, a swarm of Poh-Bee fired on him. He ran to avoid their shots, and without noticing hit a 'future' sign. He then was bounced up by the floor and eventually was sent into a turbine. It span him around in a figure-8 until…

**Bad Future**

He was launched into a dilapidated factory. All the machinery was a rusted brown, the floor flickered constantly, and most of the equipment was broken. The Badniks looked pathetic in their damaged states.

"I've gotta find one of those signposts. Hey, what's that?"

There was something off about the wall Sonic was looking at.

"I wonder…?"

He jumped at the wall. There was a hidden room inside the wall. A statue was the only thing there. It would seem Dr. Robotnik found this room as well, because he built a statue of himself, left arm outstretched, as if you signify his victory.

"Not on my watch, Eggman."

Sonic smashed the ugly statue. It also seemed the good doctor knew someone would destroy it, because it started raining explosive spike balls.

"Watch out! Gotta get back. Back to the past."

At last he found the signpost and returned to the present. Then he found another to get to the past.

**Past**

The first, most standout feature was the metal and machinery were all a bright green. The next most obvious thing was the fact that this place was still under construction. The walls weren't up yet, so you could still see the red canyon walls and the lovely twilight sky. There were also a lot of cranes and unfinished buildings. The floor was still as bouncy as ever. Sonic used it to his advantage as he searched for the robot generator. Having found and destroyed it, he decided to look for one more thing. Would that hidden room be here? Sure enough, it was.

"Has Eggman tainted this time zone too?"

No in fact. This small room looked like it had been a piece of ancient ruins once. The statue was of a beautiful woman with wings on her back, an angel.

"How fitting."

Much like the Robotnik statue, her left arm was outstretched.

"I wonder…?"

Sonic touched the statue. He didn't expect anything to happen, but it started to rain rings.

"Awesome! With all these rings, I can get to that special stage."

And that's where he was headed next.

**Special**

A futuristic city surrounded by black-colored water made up the background.

"Looks a bit like Tokyo, that big city in the Star Wars prequels, and a hint of Blade Runner."

Sonic made short work of his trip, and got a cyan Time Stone as a result.

**Good Future**

Upon exiting, he was treated to a pleasant sight. All the machinery was now brightly colored with pink, purple, and light blue. There were a lot more flashing lights, indicating that it was meant to be a sort of kid-friendly place now. The floor was still as flashy as ever.

"Does that mean it will still…?"

Sonic was once again sent flying.

"That answers my question. Oh well, at least those electrical grids are permanently off."

As he worked his way down, he saw flocks of birds flying through. While the place was still overtly wacky, at least it was more fun. He went ahead, then came to a separate room where the floor was dark. It was rather small horizontally, but vertically it went pretty high up.

"What kind of room is this?"

"The kind that you'll be buried in, Hedgehog!"

"Oh great, just what I needed."

Dr. Robotnik was in what appeared to be a small rocket in a semi-circle shape with spikes at the very top.

"Running won't help you this time, fool!"

"Ah, shut up!"

Sonic gave the rocket a hit.

"Insolent little…very well then. Going up!"

The rocket crashed through the ceiling, sending debris raining down. Some larger chunks of the ceiling crashed to the floor, but were easy to avoid. That's when Sonic noticed the floor was starting to flash. Even worse, an electrical current was charging up. He quickly jumped atop one of the large ceiling chunks to getting zapped, but due to the power surge, the floor bounced the blocks of ceiling into the air. The one Sonic stood on wasn't going as high as the others, so he jumped from one to another to get up higher. When he got to the ceiling, it turned out there was another floor above the room he started in.

"Wasn't that fun, Sonic?"

"Maybe a little, but let me give you something for your trouble anyway."

The rocket took another hit. The anti-gravity process was repeated a second time with the same result.

"Enjoying losing, Eggman? Let's see if we can make a fourth hit."

"Just try it, you fool!"

Robotnik again ascended towards the ceiling, but this time instead of a crash, it was a loud thump. Ceiling blocks fell as before, but several spikes did as well.

"What in the world?"

As the floor bounced him up, he saw what had happened. This ceiling must have been too thick, and the rocket was wedged in due to the boosters. The spikes obviously broke off as a result.

"Stupid machine! Why can't I get it to stop?"

"Tough luck, Eggman."

With one final hit, the rocket broke down. It was now wedged into the hole in the floor Robotnik made to get in. The doctor ran for it while all the smoke filled the room.

"Oh, bravo, Sonic, but this changes nothing. I'm through toying with you. Next time will be different."

"Yeah, that's what you said last time…or something like it."

By the time Sonic was out of the room, Robotnik was gone.

"How does he manage to run so dang fast?"

**The base**

"All right, that's it! I have had it!"

"So have we, Eggman."

"Silence, you stupid girl! Metal, now is the time."

Metal Sonic's red eyes flashed.

"The next zone has plenty of room for you to show Sonic your speed. Best him so he can see who's more superior. Show no mercy! Humiliate him, then kill him!"


	7. Stardust Speedway

Notes: the fight we've been waiting for

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, the character, the franchise, or otherwise

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 7: Race in Stardust Speedway

* * *

Night had come, and now Sonic could see all the stars.

"This place looks pretty peaceful and quiet."

Sonic decided to slow down for once to enjoy the sights, but he started to notice that it seemed to be getting brighter. Then of all the strange things to run in to, he came across an actual road. It led right towards a large city. He followed it, and wound up on a highway above the city.

"This is the weirdest highway I've ever been on."

Down below, the city shined with lights as bright as the stars. This so-called highway was gold colored with what appeared to be trumpets lining certain spots.

"Now there's something you don't see every day."

There were several spotlights going back and forth. Of course, bright lights attract bugs. Or in this case, Badniks. There were flying beetles called Kanabun, and small, grey mosquitos called Kabasira that emitted smoke. They were weak flyers, and didn't last long once Sonic took care of them.

"This whole arthropod motif Eggman's going for is annoying."

He spoke too soon as he came across a large, green pill bug called Dango. It rolled into a ball and charged at him. Sonic jumped to one side. The Badnik turned around, curled up, and charged again. This time, Sonic did the same. The two bounced off each other. As the Dango lay uncurled, Sonic finished it off.

"That was different."

He looked up at the stars again, then noticed one was moving.

"What in the…?"

It turned out to be a firefly Badnik called Hotaru. It hovered just out of reach, fired a beam of light, and then flew off.

"No Badnik is gonna shoot at me and get away with it."

He look around, then picked up a rock. He built up momentum by spinning, then threw the rock at the Badnik.

_*CRUNCH*_

"That's what I like to hear. Now if there are no further interruptions, I'd like to take time to appreciate having all this room to run."

Sonic was sure he could hear some very funky music in the distance. He ran, through loops, past barricades, bouncing off springs, hitting boosters, seeing everything! The only time he had to slow down somewhat was when he passed by a construction area.

"This place is amazing! I already have the perfect name: Stardust Speedway."

_*BOING*_

He was sent flying backwards due to an oddly placed spring.

"What kind of cheap placement is that? It threw off my groove! Oh well, back to business."

That's when he paid more notice to the construction area. It wasn't a building, it was a statue. An enormous, though incomplete, statue of Robotnik. There were quite a few patches of open area with girders sticking out. Not to mention only one of the eyes functioned, beaming a creepy, golden glow.

"Time for some redecorating."

**Past**

The entire highway was covered in vines. Bright red berries dotted the area. The modern city was obviously not built yet. Instead it was an ancient acropolis by a bay. There was a large Gothic cathedral in the center of the old city.

"This is all very artsy, but there's work to be done. I'll take the special."

**Special**

"Holey smokes! What in name of all that's good and pure am I looking at?!"

While the buildings and bridge on the distance looked normal, the entire sky was a wavy, colorful distortion. As if someone tie dyed the sky. There were also some tall, green hills

"Those hills look like they came from somewhere else…oh well, ignore it. This is beyond trippy. The sooner I get out of here, the better I'll like it."

He finished up and received a purple Time Stone.

"Glad to be out of there. Oh great, this again."

**Bad Future**

The highway was now a dark blue color. Those trumpets were all busted. The sky was covered with dark red smoke, so no stars could be seen at all. Flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance. All the lights were very dim, and one could barely make out the city except of the bigger building. Worst of all though, was the finished statue of Robotnik. Both of the eyes were functional. They were the only bright light in comparison to the rest of the city. It was very eerie how they pierced through the night.

"Come on, Time Stones, don't fail me now."

_*FLASH*_

**Good Future**

Both the stars and the city were shining brightly once again. The more distant parts of the city stood by a lovely bay. The closer parts looked like a futuristic amusement park.

"Wow! Carousels, roller coasters, now this place looks awesome!"

The best improvement was the lack of a Robotnik statue. Instead there was a beautiful mansion.

"This is even better than it was in the present. Nothing can spoil my mood now."

Except that just ahead there was…Metal Sonic.

"I spoke too soon. What do you want, faker?"

"So nice of you to finally show up, Sonic. We've been waiting for you."

"I'm sure. So what's your brilliant plan exactly?"

"I propose a race. The loser dies!"

"Now there's a great incentive."

"Ah, but the winner gets a certain pink annoyance. Just look over there, I realize it's pretty far, but you can just make her out."

There was Amy, tied up and bound to a nearby pole.

"Sonic, get me out of here!"

"Even this far away, I can still hear her. That's Amy all right. So you want me to face off against your new toy. Where do you come in?"

"I'll simply follow right behind you two. Oh, you notice the extra boosters I attached to my Eggmobile? They're so I can better keep up. You see, just to make sure you don't try anything, I installed a powerful laser to my mobile. Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long, but long enough that if you slow down and get hit with it, you will instantly get fried!"

"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

"Enough talk! Come on, Metal, work that sucker to death! Show him what you're made of!"

Metal Sonic wagged his finger at Sonic.

"Are you seriously taunting me with my own finger wag? Who do you think you are?"

Metal Sonic looked him straight in the eye.

"_**There is only one Sonic."**_

"So you can talk. Well, I agree. And I'm about to show you why the only Sonic is me. Pardon me while I do some stretches."

"Just because we can bend the rules of time here doesn't mean I have all the time in the world. Hurry up!"

"It's not like you're the one running, Eggman."

"On your mark!"

Metal Sonic revved up his engine.

"Get set!"

"Time for a move I call the super peel out."

Sonic began running in place. His legs were spinning so fast they made a figure-8 shape.

"GO!"

_*ZOOM*_

Sonic was in the lead. The long track was perfect for running, but there were groups of spikes blocking the path at times.

"These stupid spikes are killing me."

That's when he heard Metal's engine. He came dashing from behind, going so fast a golden shield of energy protected him. He easily smashed through all the spikes. Robotnik came close behind, laser on full power. Sonic sped off to keep up with Metal. That extra boost of energy used to break through the spikes slowed Metal down slightly. Sonic took the opportunity to spin dash through Metal. If Metal could show emotions, it's obvious he'd be very ticked off. Metal increased his speed and came up next to Sonic.

"Hey, Metal! Are you mad that I actually hit you?"

Metal unleashed an electrical charge that knocked Sonic back.

"Ouch, I'll take that as a yes."

Sonic dusted himself off and kept going. He decided to take a 'short cut' by jumping from some higher up platforms. Thanks to that bit of quick thinking, he landed in front of Metal. Metal began spinning around, one arm with its metal claws outstretched. Sonic reacted in a split second by jumping overhead. Then retaliated with a swift kick to Metal's head. Metal bounced off the ground, but powered up his engine and caught up in no time. He dashed right up to Sonic and kicked him in the back.

"Well that wasn't very fair. Looks like were in the home stretch."

The two were neck and neck. Metal tried taking swipes at Sonic, and vice versa. Amy could clearly be seen, and the finish line was coming up fast. It would seem that as an added bonus, the door to where Amy was being held was slowly closing.

"_Well that figures."_

There were no obstacles now. The racers weren't even trying to hit each other anymore. It was all down to running. Faster, and faster, and faster they went. The door was almost closed.

"Hey, Metal! You know the biggest difference between you and me?"

Metal Sonic said nothing.

"I can brake easily."

Sonic slid under the door right as it closed.

_*CRASH*_

Sonic united Amy and was greeted with a bear hug.

"I knew you'd win."

"As if there was any doubt. Now knock it off. I'm waiting for something."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Come on, you've gotta see this. Help me with the door."

The two managed to lift the door and saw Metal's broken body. Robotnik was there as well, pounding on the console of his mobile.

"NO WAY! I can't believe this!"

"Sorry your cheap imitation didn't work out, Eggman."

"You're going to pay for this! My greatest creation: ruined! When you get to my base, there shall be no mercy!"

Robotnik took off in a huff. He muttered to himself, "He's not gonna get away with this."

"I saw some of the race Sonic. You were great! How do you feel?"

"Like I could use a couple dozen chilidogs. Once I do that, I'm coming for you, Eggman."


	8. Metallic Madness

Notes: sorry for the delay, work you know

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog CD

Ch. 8: Time to end this Metallic Madness

* * *

Sonic and Amy were making their way to Robotnik's fortress. Well actually, Sonic was trying to go alone, but Amy kept following him.

"For the last time, Amy, it's too dangerous. I want to get in and get out. If you're there, I'll have to keep an eye on you."

"I can take care of myself, Sonic. Besides, you might need me to help you."

"I'm sure in any other situation your help would be appreciated, but here it's too risky."

"You know I'm going to follow you anyway."

"Alright," Sonic sighed, "Let me go in first. Then wait about an hour or so. That way I'll have taken care of any traps or Badniks there might be."

"Deal. Before you go, I just want to say one thing. Sonic, you can do anything!"

Sonic smiled, gave her a thumbs up, and ran inside the dark fortress.

**Meanwhile**

Robotnik had cameras all over his base, and was waiting for Sonic to show up.

"The war began. Earth trembled in fear. Bald, brainy, and cold-hearted. The distance grows closer, little by little. Wow! The power he possesses is incredible! He doesn't stand a chance!"

"Hey, Eggman! You know the speakers are on right? Or do you just really love hearing the sound of your voice?"

"I do, as a matter of fact. This is my turf, Hedgehog. You can't do anything, so don't even try it. Get some help."

"You talk too much, Eggman."

Apart from all the turbines, the first thing he saw was a blue rhinoceros beetle Badnik called Mecha-Bu. On the end of its horn was a buzz-saw. Sonic leapt over the Badnik, only to run into another Mecha-Bu.

"Come and get me!"

The two Badniks charged at Sonic, but he leapt out of the way and they ended up destroying each other.

"That's one problem solved. Everything here is metallic. How boring is that?"

He avoided several spinning blades on wheels, and a dozen or so buzz-saws. He ducked quickly to avoid a Poh-Bee. This one was similar in looks to the ones at Wacky Workbench, but instead of a blaster on the end of its abdomen, it swung a pair of maces on long chains. Sonic rolled out of the way, only to be stopped by a new Badnik called Scarab. It used its long claws to grab Sonic and keep him rolled up in a ball. It then shoved him back in the direction he came.

"Oh, a double team, eh?"

The pill bug Badnik from before, Dango, was also here. There were even more Mecha-Bu. Sonic led the swarming Badniks on a chase.

"I'll try to go slow, guys."

"What are you doing, you stupid machines? Don't do what Sonic does!"

More and more Badniks joined the fray as they chased him. That's when he saw an opportunity. A Badnik that appeared to be a large walking bomb was just ahead. It was fittingly called Bigbom. Sonic ran up to the Bigbom and stood there. The Badnik's fuse was now lit. The other Badnik had caught up and were starting to attack. That's when Sonic grabbed the long chain of the nearest Poh-Bee and ran in a circle around every Badnik. He tied them all together next to the Bigbom. Then he ran far enough to not be caught in the blast.

_*BOOM*_

Flowers now adorned the area.

"Who says I'm all running and no brains?"

Sonic had to get past moving platforms, some of which disappeared and reappeared. As he went deeper into the fortress, he noticed an overabundance of two things: spikes, and Robotnik's face. He now came to a corridor that was much smaller than usual. There was also a questionable beam of red light.

"Now how am I supposed to fit through here?"

His curiosity got the better of him. He touched the beam. A shock traveled through his body, and before he knew it, he had shrunk.

"Oh you have got to be kidding."

"Ho, ho, ho! You look ridiculous, Sonic. You are now 25% of your original height."

"Well at least I can get through these narrow passages now."

He made his way across conveyor belts, pistons, and the occasional Bigbom.

"I can still jump as high as I used to. That's kinda weird. No time to think about it. This madness ends now. Metallic Madness, if you will."

He was now in a more open area.

"I really hope this can be reversed."

"Sonic, is that you?"

"Oh no."

Amy Rose had caught up.

"Has it been an hour already?"

"No, but I couldn't help myself. I stayed back until you cleared the way. You look so cute!"

She picked him up and hugged him.

"You're like a little stuffed animal."

"Put me down and help me look for a way back to normal."

"What makes you think Eggman would have a way to return to normal?"

"Yeah! What makes you think that, Hedgehog?"

"Because only you would do something that stupid."

Sure enough, there was another laser with a blue beam. Sonic ran towards it, and with a zap, he was his normal size.

"I really need to work on my design plans."

"What a joke. Amy, you stay here while I time travel."

"Why?"

"Because you can't run fast enough. Now stay out of trouble."

**Past**

The fortress was now merely a construction zone. Against a beautiful morning sky, Sonic ran past warning lights, traffic cones, and barricades. Not much else was different in this past. Robotnik's face still adorned the walls. All the traps were still in place. The only thing missing, it seemed, was all the cameras. Sure enough, Robotnik was installing them.

"I would get my minions to do this, but some things you have to do yourself. With these in place, I can monitor that blasted hedgehog all throughout my base. Sonic, dead or alive, is mine."

Sonic quickly ran in a different direction.

"Sheesh, what a grouch. No sense in trying to stop him. The real target is that machine thing."

He destroyed and headed back to the future.

**Present**

"There you are. Did you fix the past?"

"That I did Amy. Still, there's one more thing I have to take care of before I'll be sure of a good future."

"What's that?"

That's when she noticed the giant floating ring.

"Get the last Time Stone."

**Special**

This place was almost as crazy-looking as the last. The sky was green. The water was pink. A large planet was in the background. It almost looked like it was going to touch the ground. A large pyramid-like building dominated the landscape. It was surrounded by futuristic towers, a forest, and small mountains.

"I'm not even gonna ask."

The seventh and final Time Stone, a lovely red color, was now in his possession.

**Bad Future**

He went straight into a true nightmare. All the machinery was rusted and broken down. The lights kept flickering. Everything was a brown color.

"This is sad."

The Time Stones came out and began to spin in the air. There was a blinding light.

**Good Future**

"Sonic, there you are. Whatever you did, it worked a miracle."

"You're telling me."

All the décor was a sky blue. There were potted plants and fountains everywhere. Sonic and Amy kept walking. They were in a large building, but walked outside to see what else had changed. The area was now dotted with buildings, which were in turn surrounded by trees and ponds. As they kept walking, they came to a dead end room. Then a very slowly falling platform with spikes lining the bottom appeared. There was a space in the platform for one to get through.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for enough of these things to drop so we can get out. I hate waiting."

With that strange obstacle behind them, they went on. There was a door just ahead.

"Amy, stay here."

"Why?"

"This door has to lead to where Eggman is holed up. It's just me and him now."

"Give him the old Sonic boom! Save the planet from disaster. Show him this ain't his neighborhood to take over."

"Enough already. Wait until I call you."

The door opened and closed automatically. He was in a small room with only two doors: the one he came in through, and the exit on the other side. He walked towards the exit, but then the lights went out.

"I don't mind the dark, but what's the point?"

Then he saw a yellow light hovering in the air. It stopped just above his head.

"What is…? Oh wait."

Sonic dodged the incoming laser blast. It was one of the firefly Badniks from before, Hotaru. Two more appeared and all three began flying around and shooting lasers.

"There's always something stopping me from getting to Eggman."

Sonic bobbed and weaved back and forth, avoiding the blasts.

"This is getting annoying."

The trio of fireflies closed in on him. That's when he leapt up and smashed them one by one.

"Now that that's out of the way."

The door opened to a large open room.

"It's time for the Final Fever, Hedgehog. Behold the Psyco-Egg!"

It was a circular pod with four large spikes attached. They rotated around the pod.

"From this angle, it looks like a giant d-pad from a video game controller."

"That's it! Get yourself ready for a fight!"

The machine touched down on the ground. Robotnik spun the spikes around in an attempt to crush Sonic.

"Missed me! Maybe you shoulda added more spikes, Eggman."

The machine lifted back into the air and shot the spikes at the ground.

"That's one. Two, so close. Three, try again. Four isn't your lucky number either."

The spikes were being drawn back to the pod, but before they got there, Sonic gave the doctor a good hit. This caused one of the spikes to malfunction and explode.

"You little…"

With the three remaining spikes, Robotnik tried the same strategy. The main difference being that the spikes were spinning faster. It wasn't as easy to try and stomp around with only three spikes.

"Stop it while you still have some dignity, Eggman. I've seen what the future could look like if you go around carelessly exploiting this planet."

"As if I'm going to listen to you. I would never neglect my own creations."

"Whatever happened, it wasn't pretty. Look around you, this good future has nature and technology working together."

"So what?! I'm not in charge, am I? It's only a utopia if I'm the one who made it so."

Sonic waited for the right moment to hit the pod again. Now with only two spikes, Robotnik resorted to keeping a distance and firing the spikes as projectiles again.

"Your plan could really use some work, Eggman. In fact, all your machines and Badniks have been pretty lacking this time around."

He gave the pod another hit, leaving only one spike.

"You think you're all that? Try this on for size, Hedgehog!"

Robotnik pointed the last spike towards the ground. He then used it as a makeshift pogo stick.

"Isn't this fun, Sonic?"

"Not really. That's why I'm putting an end to this game."

Sonic took a running start and leapt at the pod. Using the momentum, he gave it one last hard hit. The Psyco-Egg was now breaking down, and the room with it.

"Maybe I shouldn't have hardwired the surrounding area to explode if my machine was destroyed. Here's hoping you don't make it, Sonic. We're outta here!"

Robotnik made a break for it. Then Amy Rose came running in.

"I'm guessing you beat him. This sort of thing always happens when you beat the bad guy."

"That it does, Amy. Now hang on tight, because I'm getting us outta here."

"You don't have to ask me twice."

Sonic rolled his eyes as Amy wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up in his arms and started running. The ceiling was collapsing. Large support pillars were crashing down around them. The floor was giving way. Sonic jumped from the increasingly limited footholds. Before he knew it, they were running back down the chain that connected Little Planet to the mountain. Sonic ran a bit farther and put Amy down.

"Stay here, and watch the fireworks."

"Huh? Sonic, what do you mean?"

But he had already sped off. He ran as fast as he could, and with all his might, destroyed the chain connecting Little Planet. With it gone, the planet slowly flew back into the atmosphere.

"Finally. Hey, what the…?"

The Time Stones appeared and zoomed through the air back to Little Planet. All seven began spinning around the planet, causing a lot of sparkles to appear. The sparks arranged themselves into Sonic's face.

"Well how do you like that? It captures me perfectly."

The glittering sparks then fell to the ground, and everywhere they landed flowers sprouted. An entire field of flowers now covered the landscape. With that, the Time Stones disappeared, and so did Little Planet.

"That was amazing!"

"It sure was, Amy."

"I guess we won't see the Little Planet for a while now, huh?"

"I can wait."

"I thought you hated waiting?"

"I've time traveled who knows how many times. This is easy."

"What about Eggman?"

"He's out there somewhere. Probably already plotting something. I'll be ready."

**Elsewhere**

"My robotizers destroyed, my future ruined, my Metal Sonic defeated, my plan finished! Nothing has gone right!"

"Doctor."

"WHAT IS IT?!"

"Pardon, sir, but the project you had us work on is nearing completion."

"What?"

Robotnik brought up a screen to check all the systems.

"So it is. This almost brightens my day. However, if I'm not careful, Sonic will find out about this. I have to distract him. I know. I have just the robot to keep tabs on Sonic."

The robot came in from the next room.

"With this spying on Sonic, I can find a way to keep him preoccupied. He has no idea what's in store for him. Oh, ho ho ho ho ho! Get me a sandwich!"


End file.
